Destination: North America
Passengers Bill of Rights Loses a Fan
by Eva Holland | 09.11.09 | 10:25 AM ET
Christopher Elliott explains why he’s no longer in favor of a proposed bill.
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Yahoo! BuzzPost-9/11 Airport Security: Do You Know Where Your Dignity Is?
by Eric Weiner | 09.11.09 | 10:20 AM ET
On the intersection of place, politics and culture
Links We’ve Loved: The Post-9/11 Kindness of Gander, Newfoundland
by Michael Yessis | 09.11.09 | 9:39 AM ET
In the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks, several trans-Atlantic flights were diverted from their U.S. destinations to airports throughout Atlantic Canada. The hospitality and kindness of the town of Gander, Newfoundland, has become legendary. Here’s one story I loved, the Savvy Traveler’s 2001 tale of the passengers of Delta Flight 15 and the residents of Gander, who hosted them for “four long, yet special, days.”
Here’s our original blog post.
Celebrating 50 Years of Leaf-Peeping
by Eva Holland | 09.10.09 | 5:16 PM ET
New Hampshire’s Kancamagus Highway, one of the more famous fall foliage routes in the country, is a half-century old this year. USA Today has all the details—including the correct pronunciation of Kancamagus.
Photo We Don’t Love: Aeromexico Hijacking Suspect
by World Hum | 09.10.09 | 1:46 PM ET
REUTERS/Jorge Dan Lopez Mexican federal police detain Jose Flores, accused of hijacking an Aeromexico plane carrying more than 100 passengers from Cancun to Mexico City yesterday. The Bolivian-born suspect reportedly said he was on a divine mission. He was arrested upon landing and nobody was injured. In fact, passengers said they were unaware of the hijacking until after the plane touched down.
‘CSI: The Experience’ Comes to Vegas
by Eva Holland | 09.10.09 | 12:04 PM ET
Well, finally. I’ve been waiting for Las Vegas to really tap into the “CSI” theme—no, the mugs and t-shirts in the cheapo gift shops on Fremont aren’t enough for me—and now the MGM Grand has obliged with a new exhibit, CSI: The Experience. Writes Jen Leo over at the Daily Deal blog: “You will act as an investigator and go through one of three crime scenes. Take notes, analyze clues and watch videos with characters from the TV show while you learn about DNA identification, firearm and toolmark identification, blood-spatter analysis, forensic entomology and more.”
Next time I make it to Vegas, I am so there. Who says learning can’t be fun?
‘The United Steaks of America’
by Michael Yessis | 09.10.09 | 10:13 AM ET
Alright, Al Franken. Impressive work drawing the map, but I’d be more amazed if you could do this with beef.
Al Franken Draws a Map of America
by Eva Holland | 09.09.09 | 1:12 PM ET
From memory. Apparently the good Senator’s been pulling out this party trick for years, but his latest display—presumably, his first since taking office—is drawing a lot of online attention. Here it is, from the Minnesota State Fair:
Hey, wouldn’t it be nifty if an excellent grasp of the country’s geography was a prerequisite for federal office, rather than a viral video-worthy feat?
Two Days in the Life of a Rest Stop on the New York State Thruway
by Michael Yessis | 09.08.09 | 3:15 PM ET
This American Life did it again this weekend with a superb program chronicling the happenings at a highway rest stop in Wallkill, New York. Some accompanying photos can be found on Flickr.
No War Re-Enactments, Please, We’re Canadian
by Eva Holland | 09.04.09 | 11:33 AM ET
Next weekend marks the 250th anniversary of the Battle of the Plains of Abraham outside Quebec City, a decisive battle in the British and French struggle for present-day Canada—so you might expect a loud, colorful historical re-enactment, complete with muskets and period costumes. Right? Um, no. Instead, a “unifying” battlefield poetry slam is in the works. You can’t make this stuff up.
The Best Travel Photo I Never Took
by Doug Mack | 09.04.09 | 11:20 AM ET
iStockPhoto His Facebook friends would have loved it, but Doug Mack has no regrets
Mapping Manhattan in 1609
by Eva Holland | 09.03.09 | 12:32 PM ET
Union Square in the early 17th century? According to The Mannahatta Project, an interactive map that lets users search block-by-block for the ecological and wildlife history of Manhattan, it was home to the meadow vole and the white-footed mouse, rather than the Greenmarket browsers of today. (Via Boing Boing)
Hawaii: ‘Prejudice in Paradise’?
by Michael Yessis | 09.02.09 | 2:58 PM ET
The Southern Poverty Law Center has issued an intelligence report about racial tensions and issues with non-native Hawaiians on the islands. The report goes well beyond the issues we touched on earlier this year after a Saturday Night Live skit about “two grass-skirted, uke-playing, hula-dancing, minimum wage entertainers” who abuse guests at a hotel restaurant in Hawaii. (Via Fark)
Travel Song of the Day: ‘Running Back to Saskatoon’ by The Guess Who
by Eva Holland | 09.02.09 | 1:49 PM ET
Ryanair: ‘Too Mean’ for Canada?
by Eva Holland | 09.02.09 | 11:13 AM ET
Jaunted predicts that the not-so-cuddly budget airline wouldn’t go over well with Canadians, who “prefer their service providers amiable and their experiences congenial.” Too true, eh?